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Prints and Photographs Collection

Beauford H. Jester

Beauford Jester was born into a political family -- his father was lieutenant governor under Charles Culberson. Jester was a graduate of the University of Texas and was attending Harvard Law School when World War I began. He was commissioned as a captain and saw action in France. Returning to Texas after the war, he finished his law degree at the University of Texas and then practiced law in Corsicana, also helping to manage his family's large holdings in land, cattle, and cotton.

In 1929 Jester was appointed to the University of Texas Board of Regents and from 1933-35 he was the youngest person ever to chair the board. Under his tenure, he promoted a building program that included the famed tower, Hogg Auditorium, the Texas Union, Gregory Gym, and an expansion of the medical branch in Galveston. From 1942-47, Jester served on the Railroad Commission.